Saturday, August 12, 2017

A
fifteen-year-old takes a road trip with her two younger sisters and
their strong-willed great-granny, and circumstances force her to drive
her granny’s Cadillac through a freeway-closing-down blizzard which
brings everyone and everything to a standstill.

Jean
Ann Williams is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She
writes regularly for Putting on the New blog and Book Fun Magazine on
the topic of child suicide loss. Her book “God’s Mercies after Suicide:
Blessings Woven through a Mother’s Heart” started out as a blogged book
on her Love Truth blog. Jean Ann and her husband of forty-six years have
thirteen grandchildren from their two remaining children. They reside
on one acre in Southern Oregon where they raise a garden, fruit orchard,
goats, and chickens. Jean Ann’s favorite hobbies are practicing
archery, hiking through the woods, and big game hunting with her bow.

1. Who are some of your favorite authors? Do these authors influence your own writing?My
favorite authors write inspirational/historical, which includes, Kim
Vogel Sawyer, Tessa Emily Hall, Kim Vogel Sawyer, Laura Frantz, Jane
Kirkpatrick. Last but not least for the deeper Point of View, Virginia
Smith, and for my most favorite time period with captivating stories,
Sydney Tooman Betts. Each of these authors have taught me differing
things; how to write better, go deeper into story, and deeper Point of
View so the reader is allowed to live in the characters’ heads.

2. What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about this project?Season of the Fawns is
written with the new adult audience in mind, but it’s for all ages.
Synopsis: Born on the same day, Vale acts older than her cousin Caleb
and is protective over him because of the loss of his family at age ten.
Days before they turn twenty, the two cousins yearly hunting trip
approaches. Caleb no longer cares about participating, as he suffers
from migraines caused by an injury while mountain climbing.Before
leaving for the hunting cabin, Vale discovers how severe Caleb’s
depression has become. Though worried she will lose Caleb by his own
hand, she insists the trip will be good for him. As the cousins enter a
new season of change, will Vale’s grit be enough to save Caleb’s life?

3. What advice would you give potential authors/writers?Never,
ever give up on your dream of writing and publishing, and when you
think you’ve hit a writer’s block wall keep writing even if it’s junk.

5. What inspired the idea for Road Trip to Delusion?Now,
a bit about how this story came about. I told my California resident
mother-in-law we would pick her up when she was ready to stay in our
home. She commented she just might get in her car and drive her own self
to Oregon. To this, I stared at my granddaughters and said to Mom,
“Well, you better bring my granddaughters with you.” Because of this
conversation, Road Trip of Delusion took root and I watered it and God gave the increase.

6. What do you want readers to take away from reading Road Trip to Delusion?I
hope readers will get a strong sense of the value of family, especially
when not everyone gets along. Also, I’d like readers to consider the
importance of prayer to a Lord Who loves us.

(The cities and places along the characters route are actual locations, though some names are changed.)

1. Some characters are composites of a few family members including myself.2.
Within minutes after the conversation which inspired this story, my
husband and I began our trip home to Oregon and I pulled out my laptop
and wrote Road Trip of Delusion.3. The working title of this book was The Road Trip of Our Lives, and I changed it to its current title.4. The cover illustration was created by my granddaughter.5. Since the age of eight, I’ve traveled the same route my characters traveled.6. My sister’s husband works for the highway division in Oregon and plows the snow off of Interstate 5 each winter.7.
At the same age as my main character, I drove my parents’ station wagon
without a driver’s license and know the feeling of driving scared when I
stalled the car in a deep creek behind our house and couldn’t get the
vehicle out.8. I know what it’s like being in a snow storm. When I
was 14, my family and I woke to five feet of snow, and my dad had to
climb out a window and shovel the snow away from the front door.9.
My personality is similar to the main character in respect to feeling
often like a coward and plagued with a nervous stomach.)

My heart sank to my navel as I grip-hugged my cookbook.Granny
slammed on the gas pedal of her Cadillac Fleetwood, and the vehicle
chugged onto Highway 101. Her eagle eyes never wandered from the beams
of the headlights.I shook my head for I had a huge regret. I wasn’t able to talk Granny out of taking this trip.In
the backseat, my middle sister thirteen-year-old Leah Be-de-ah jumped
on the freeway of reason. “And, Granny, don’t you think we should tell
someone?”Granny’s head barely crested the top of the seat. “Your Grand, James, is gone, so it’s just me now.” She lifted her chin.Little sister Mia Babe sat next to Leah. “Kari?”Twisting in my seat, I faced them. “What?”“Mom says Grand’s in paradise, but where’s that?”Ah, Mia, an old soul at the age of seven. “Well, from what Mom taught me, it’s a spiritual place where people go when they die.”“Oh.” Mia rubbed her eye.A scary notion surfaced, and I slapped my forehead. “Granny, do you even know how to get to Oregon?”“Of
course.” She flicked her blinker and passed a small car. “James and I
visited Oregon when your mama was a slip of a teenager.”“But Granny—” Leah counted. “This was twenty-five years ago. Right, Kari?”“Right.”
I rolled my eyes to the car roof and refocused on the
headlight-brightened pavement. “I don’t think, Leah, they moved the
state.” But, does Granny remember the route